Q
My question is the word translated nations (h1471) in Isaiah 14:12. Does this refer to human nations only or can it possibly mean some sort of spirits/angels that may have dwelt on earth before Genesis 1:2? I’m not referring to a pre-adamite human race but something other than human. Hopefully this question will make sense to you.
A
While I suspect there was a population of angelic beings on Earth for some period of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, Isaiah 14:12 does not hint of it. The Hebrew word translated nations in Isaiah 14:12 always refers to humans in the Bible. In addition to being translated “nations” 374 times, the same word is translated “heathen” 143 times and “gentiles” 30 times.